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5 hours ago, ijozic said:

It's been released for a while and IMHO the topic should either switch to the kit itself or there should be another focused and probably moderated thread that would do that as 9/10 posts here are just people basically posting over and over how they're glad that the kit is not the best F-14D kit as AMK apparently solemnly sworn it would be.

 

Oh, sorry; is the AMK Tomcat kit the best 1/48 F-14D model out there? Nooooooooooooo... it's way far from being it. This is a hard fact of which no-ones glad about - at least not me.

 

5 hours ago, ijozic said:

IIRC, they keep their company afloat by molding for other companies. They needed at least a 5000 kit pre-order to make it worth their while to put the kit on the priority for that year, otherwise they'll push it as a lower priority to stuff from other companies and I'd assume this is exactly what happened (plus some shape issues later they had to semi-correct).

 

:boohoo: :boohoo: :boohoo: Oh, just drop the guilt trip, will you? I bet you think AMK are the only manufacturers on Earth going through some dire straits these days, huh...? As Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf would say, "They've written checks their egos couldn't ever cash..."

Plus, you are referring to as those awful rear hinds on the AMK kit as some shape issues later they had to semi-correct? I shall remind you that those terrific shapes were early dismissed as being a mere optical illusion. Or is it the IFR probe panel? The TARPS pod?

 

5 hours ago, ijozic said:

The F-14 shape is much more complex than the relatively boxy MiG-31 and the people are much more familiar with it so I'm also not surprised with some more noticeable shape issues occurring while translating 2D plans to 3D than what happened with the MiG. It should have been done better, sure, but again, there's a point where you just have to stop and focus on releasing it as it is, otherwise it won't even return the investment.

 

You realise that one is beyond a lame excuse, don't you? How about the ancient Monogram 1/48 F-14A kit then? They've managed to nail their complex shape like 30-some years ago? In an era that there was no CAD? Why are you defending the indefensible?

Beware AMK turns out such an awful 1/48 F-104 kit next time than they will tell you it's actually an egg-kit, and you're going to buy it.

 

5 hours ago, ijozic said:

As for these posted shape issues, as long as I could put one kit next to the other and couldn't tell which one is so obviously wronger (especially with the wings swept back to take less space), that's fine for me, but hey, different people, different strokes.

 

Yes, go on and pull some blinders on your eyes, that's quite good for you. You wouldn't tell the difference between the Lindberg MiG-25 kit from any of the new ICM kits as long as you could put them side by side. You would just accept the Lindberg kit as being okay only because it's cheaper. 

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3 hours ago, ijozic said:

 

Yes, but objectively speaking, so what? If someone is ticked off about the delays and their way of handling their business, why would that person take this so personally to go on a crusade against them? It's not like stating 'OK, they lost me as a customer', it's not like simply stating kit's issues over and over again, it's like people actively engaging and spending personal time and effort to convince others not to buy it and pretty-much openly rejoicing and high-fiving each other when there's something wrong discovered with the kit.

 

That's the part I'm having problems understanding as a non-aligned buyer of model kits.

 

This comment sums up the 'contribution' of several members now.............

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9 hours ago, Mstor said:

 

Very interesting videos. Wish there was subtitles on the audio commentary. Would love to know what is being said. Sure looks like some very complicated assembly and very tight fit on some of those parts. On the first video it appears he is having some difficulty getting parts to fit, despite careful cleaning up of the parts.

 

An interesting fact about this build, is the builder previously finished a Hasegawa F-14A.

 

And concerning the AMK kit, he really is struggling with the very same spots we saw on the few WIP online, i.e joint cockpit-fuselage and joint fuselage- intakes. 

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15 minutes ago, shion said:

 

An interesting fact about this build, is the builder previously finished a Hasegawa F-14A.

 

And concerning the AMK kit, he really is struggling with the very same spots we saw on the few WIP online, i.e joint cockpit-fuselage and joint fuselage- intakes. 


Its amazing how AMK managed to repeat the fitting problems of the Hasegawa and HB kit (although the HB kit is easier to built in that regard IMO). One would assume they would have done some research on the existing kits and avoid their problems. 

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3 hours ago, zerosystem said:

 

Because it's no longer a conversation, it's a bunch of angry modelers (some who don't even want to own the kit) with pitchforks and torches. 

And yet here you are commenting in it. As far as I know, this page isn't automatically loaded when you log in to the forums. I THINK you have to navigate down the list of threads and click on it in order to read it. OR alternatively....don't. I'm constantly amazed at people who want to stop other's from talking because they don't want to hear it...when they could just walk away. Nothing personal and I'm not angry at you for that stance....it just amuses me, that's all.

 

Bill

 

BTW....300 HERE WE COME!!! just broke a major milestone at 275 now 276. We can do it fellows if we just put our minds to it.

Edited by niart17
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22 hours ago, ijozic said:

 

 So, why are you still here then if you have no interest in buying/building the kit? Life's too short to waste it on things that don't interest you.

It's alright. Just raising my own personal opinion and showing support to those who felt the same way as I do on how AMK handled the whole thing.

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32 minutes ago, niart17 said:

BTW....300 HERE WE COME!!! just broke a major milestone at 275 now 276. We can do it fellows if we just put our minds to it.

 

Oh, the irony! Was thinking what I would do if I was the one hitting the 300 page first on this thread... :rofl: 

I would use the dirty wings on the AMK Tomcat kit to see if I can graft them onto my Tamiya kit, then I'd give the rest away to the one hitting page 301 first - you pay for its shipping, of course.

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2 minutes ago, Hubbie Marsten said:

I would use the dirty wings on the AMK Tomcat kit to see if I can graft them onto my Tamiya kit,

 

That could actually work as AMK and Tamiya have the same wing socket style.
If that 17$ Tomcat from china really arrives I may take more than just the decals. 

 

Can someone who has both kits compare the wings?

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5 minutes ago, Ventris said:

If that 17$ Tomcat from china really arrives I may take more than just the decals. 

 

A Tomcat kit worth $17, Ventris? I'm afraid you've lost me there. What's that? :hmmm:

Do Kip still sell their self-adhesive aluminium tape over there in sweet Germany?

 

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13 minutes ago, Ventris said:

 

That could actually work as AMK and Tamiya have the same wing socket style.
If that 17$ Tomcat from china really arrives I may take more than just the decals. 

 

Can someone who has both kits compare the wings?

 

The difference in details and engraving is quite noticeable.

Photo is clickable:

 

file.php?id=1545057

Edited by shion
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2 hours ago, Hubbie Marsten said:

 

A Tomcat kit worth $17, Ventris? I'm afraid you've lost me there. What's that? :hmmm:

 

A few pages back someone posted a chinese ebay seller who sold the kit for ~18$.

I took that gamble to get the decals. If it not arrives I will just refund from ebay.

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11 hours ago, shion said:

 

An interesting fact about this build, is the builder previously finished a Hasegawa F-14A.

 

And concerning the AMK kit, he really is struggling with the very same spots we saw on the few WIP online, i.e joint cockpit-fuselage and joint fuselage- intakes. 

 

Thanks shion. That's what I thought was going on. Like I said, without understanding the language it is hard sometimes to figure out what's going on.

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17 hours ago, Zactoman said:

Next time I'll discuss possible remedies...

 

Thanks for the analysis. I think you have answered all my questions regarding the rear end and what I was seeing. I can't wait to see the "possible remedies". I would think major surgery would be called for. I think the best way to get an accurate but dirty wing F-14D would to buy Tamiya's F-14D kit and use the KASL wing set. :naughty:

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20 hours ago, erik_g said:

I finally got my kit yesterday after ordering it through Indiegogo 2,5 years back. A lot of plastic in the box. Managed to do a complete unboxing of all the sprues and fit everything back in the box again. That skill should mean that I am skilled enough to put the kit together as well. 😄

 

You all know about the kits shortcomings by now, so I won't beat that dead horse more than necessary. If I hadn´t read this thread I´d say, out of the box, the things that I noted were: cockpit details being on the soft side and TARPS pod not having glazed windows. Panel lines looked OK. Sharp and distinct. Of course, I know that they are not symmetric and all that. But I would probably never had noticed that on my own. 
 

It really is a big impressive box that's stuffed with plastic. Overall the shape is close to being a Tomcat and there are some very nice builds of this kit with wonderful paint jobs. The option they have for dirty wings is fantastic. Tamiya avoided a lot of extra detailing with their kit in order to keep costs down. For a little over $70 from Spruebrothers (including shipping) you'll get a kit that you'll have a good time building.

 

However there is a lot of competition in the F-14D market place here in the U.S. Spend big on a Tamiya and you'll get a very accurate F-14D, buy the Hobby Boss kit with it's intake shape problems . . . decisions, decisions. As for the TARPS pod I think you can rob one from the Tamiya F-14D. I put mine on the HB F-14A Danger Zone kit from Eduard.

 

In terms of accuracy I would rank the AMK kit just above the Academy F-14. If you don't care much about shape issues and want a 1/48 Tomcat that you can pose with dirty wings and a full weapons load for a moderate price then get the AMK kit.

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35 minutes ago, Jonathan_Lotton said:


Yup...at least one other reviewer has laid a not-to-subtle accusation that they simply started with a copy of a Hobbyboss Tomcat and worked from there

 

 

How do you explain the fact the AMK kit´s got several specific errors people can found only on the Hobbyboss kit?

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8 minutes ago, Red Dog said:

Furball and they are pretty nice IMHO.

SbS_F14_002_decals.png

 

 

He asked who is the printer, not the designer.

 

Printer seems to be a chinese company, there was a uproar on Modelforum.cz about this, one reviewer mistakenly said the decals were printed by cartograf.

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10 minutes ago, Red Dog said:

Furball and they are pretty nice IMHO.

SbS_F14_002_decals.png

 

 

FurBall did the design but AMK had them printed.  They were nice decals, be careful to get them right on the model as the can fold over themselves really easy.  

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Still waiting for my AMK F-14 kit but I did receive two sets of their weapons set and it is fantastic.*

 

A good quantity of a variety of stores and weapons.  I haven't yet done the red line/blue line comparisons but so far, they look to the mark I eyeball.

 

*As far as I can tell...

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